AN AMERICAN REALITY

"The best way to kill an idea, a movement or attention to an injustice in America is to turn it into a Fad. Then and only then can you make it cool to ignore and turn in a profit as well." - the poet Shazza

 

FOR MY COUCH POTATO OWS CRITICS, SCHOOL TIME

As a person involved with OWS, most of the opinions of its demise, its lack of organization and especially people's opinions of its lack of focus is bogus. Much of the disparaging is due to the innate and limited attention span of the American people and their inability to get their fat-asses off the couch and do something. Yes, I took it there because I needed to shock you just enough to have those potato chip crumbs fall out of your mouth. So sit up, turn off Housewives of one of the 50 States and wipe the chicken and pizza grease off our lips, fire up the laptop or Ipad and let's get to work, the LESSON THUS BEGINS.


OWS is not a traditional movement and it embraces its "non-traditional" methodologies. Even if you were somewhat knowledgeable about civil disobedience or movements, this is an important point to know. Much of it is a combination and collection of effective and successful civil disobedient practices globally. The very nature of how we use communication, media, social media and word of mouth is uniquely different and specific to the moment. Just think, in war, do leadership use the same strategies over and over again or do they use a combination of what worked in the past and newer, innovative and more advance plans and methods? Most likely the latter is applied. So why would a modern day movement not apply the same practices? But then again, you wouldn't think as such because in Actions movies and Forensic TV, the goals to solutions are formula motivated and usually comprise of 43 minutes and 18 commercials plugged straight to your World consciousness. Yes, I know, I have a lot of deprogramming to work with.


This is what frustrates the typical masses whom are use to being spoon feed their information or wanting someone to explain it in 32 characters or less. Part of what OWS does is to make the individual make a concerted effort and  to subtly make people do the work themselves by simply asking, "What is the one thing that you feel is most important for getting this country back on course?" Then we show them just how simple the solution is by pointing them to Washington DC and Washington to Wall Street. It's a simple straight line. Not complex or subversive, the evidence is practically in your face. The facts of the deed, done in blatant arrogance. No matter what people's basic concerns are, it all goes back to Washington DC and Wall Street's direct connection to each other and the unaccountability of their actions.



I know it's taking a lot longer than taking one of those Matrix pills to "Free your mind" but this isn't Science Fiction, it's life. The top 1% in America  is a population in the millions and the 99% is a population in the billions. Their crimes, the stealing, the misappropriating, the legal gerrymandering of financial access and almost barring people's Right to basic economic means to prosperity is in the Trillions. Contrary to popular belief, not one OWS participant or member wants a "handout" or special treatment, the focus is to MAKE Congress repeal the laws that guaranteed through guile and political subterfuge the gluttony of their greed at the expense of the stability of the entire American economy and the World.


Trying to force a Modern Movement to adopt Old Standards doesn't work but at the same time, and uniquely so, the modern standard allows for past methods to work thus the movement allows for all peoples with a variety of issues and concerns to be part of the whole. OWS is THE PEOPLES MOVEMENT.

People like to have "opinions" about OWS. Some might even go to look at the groups as if its social entertainment, or the zoo or to say, "I was there and I spoke to a participant, I even took pictures" but the truth of the matter is, unless you are truly doing your part, looking, condemning, dismissing and writing about OWS faults and missteps is moot when the successes far outweigh what few minor goals it didn't meet. 

Few people have even commented on how OWS has exposed members of Congress by name for their offshore and lobby connections and their insider trading based upon the laws they help pass, how Congress has moved legislation to limit OWS activities on peace gatherings and information distribution, how plans to have the military be employed as a policing (Militia) unit for OWS activities, the assigning of undercover agents to find and exploit OWS leadership, threatening public figures if they are even in association with OWS or giving assistance, OWS having moved the pace of investigations towards solving the secret banking  of Trillions of dollar deals in Washington, the Federal Reserve and abroad, OWS occupying people's homes to prevent them from being foreclosed upon, amassing large numbers of litigation suits for constitutional violations during non-violent rallies and protests, bringing back to the forefront Human Right violation of past Civil Rights activist from the 60's, 70's, 80's that were fighting for the same issues as OWS today and many more. To force OWS to pick and choose a handful of agendas and keep to it isn't the point and it WON'T HAPPEN. The very fact that Congress to local law enforcement are violently threatening the silence of people whom are simply telling the America people the truth about its government should outrage you. The evidence that Corporations, many whom would trade your family's future for an all expense paid trip to the Cayman Islands in order to deposit its profits in tax free and asset hidden offshore accounts, should make you want to storm all Capitals. But, in its place, Americans watch as young people get beat with clubs, knocked off their feet while standing with signs or sprayed in the face with chemicals for the Right to have something as simple as a "job". There is a disconnect for sure.


Only ONE AGENDA is needed; the fundamental addressing of economic inequity in America the 99% that are marginalize out of it.  It's simple. Adding anything else would complicate it and that is pretty much what media is doing. Even when you ask the question, "Why not protest in Washington DC?" The answer is, the power and decisions aren't made in DC, as it stands, they are made on Wall Street. This is the capital of our Nation and has been for the past 30 to 40 years. Once you understand this basic fact, the movement becomes less complicated and the agenda and the issues, crystal clear. All other issues, the 5 that lazy ill-informed people want OWS to choose so they can have peace of mind and an easier ability to dismantle the movement or the open agendas that effect everyone and is tied to Wall Street's influence, its all the same movement. Not to mention, the public OWS Movement is only 3 months old, and in that 3 months it has become a global movement and branched off into several extend groups working on larger and more specific agendas (i.e. MoveYourMoneyProject.org).

Its easy to point fingers and pontificate Shoulda Woulda Couldas but what you don't know about OWS is only because many are either skimming for the details or they are just looking at the pictures of the whole story. THUS THE LESSON IS ONGOING.

I HAVE A NEW HERO

Every now-and-then I get excited when I see, hear or read about someone, just anyone that stands up and say, "I'm not taking your &$#@ anymore!" A person that gives it back righteously and no matter how big, how powerful or entitled their aggressor is, that one person casts a shadow over them and puts fear and shame to them. Do that, just once, and you are my HERO OF THE DAY.

Well today, Dylan Ratigan, you got your official hero gear, cape and all. You did what I want all other News casters to do on the hair. You weren't commercially interrupted, no one dared to challenge you, you got your point across and you didn't care. Even with the Peanut Gallery you sat across from. You even gave it to the watching audience and every political pundit and pseudo-analyst out there collecting a BS paycheck for pushing the same weak agenda day-after-day, week-after-week, year-after-year, decade for decade.  Dylan didn't give the choice of a "blue pill or red pill", he straight up just said, "Open up and take it!" He didn't want to hear a comment back once he said what he did. He didn't want applauds or adulation and you didn't dare. It was the tongue thrashing one would get for braking the lamp in the living room after being told "no ball playing in the house". To even try to defend yourself would have been suicide. Even more so, you'd come off the idiot because you wouldn't know where to start with justifying MADNESS. Simply said, you had no choice but to say, "You are right Dylan." The facts were on the table, in your face, names were named and dates drawn on calendars. Clearly Dylan said, "You are busted and it's broadcasted live, now come for me."

Of course MSNBC will have some kind of follow up for stepping "OUT OF LINE". From the top brass, there will be some lecture or proposal for a time-out session and the executive corner. Maybe a warning for his OVERTLY PASSIONATE or ALMOST OVERTLY AGGRESSIVE manner. Maybe make note how the people working in the background couldn't do their work (a matter which is somewhat dumb because the idea of doing a live show in an open office setting is bizarre and trifle) or even better, "Dylan, you intimated the two female pundits and that constituted sexual harassment."  You know something is going to jump off. You just can't expose the under belly of the dragon showing its weak spot; that missing scale which exposes its heart. But regardless of the end results, Dylan put it out there and it was GOOD!!

You are my hero and I don't have a problem with how much damage you needed to do to get the job done because damage is what this system needs. Its not functional and you told us the who, whats, when, where and hows about the villains and masterminds behind the plan to take over the World. Now all we need is a Justice League or at least The Avengers once its all said to be done.

WE STAND REVEALED

I struggle with human nature daily or at least its impact in the Western World. Standing consumed in its need to be in higher stations than the person next to itself so much that its nature alters its "state of mind" even within its own family. The consciousness to out do, out perform or relish in the fall of others can be described no different than vultures waiting for the sick or injured to die so it can strip it of its self worth and dignity. We all stand revealed in the end.

I say this only because I was recently shaken to the core and into a state of surrealism, sitting on a train ride home with the World around me moving in slow motion. A truth, an verbal epiphany that revealed a flaw in my humanity, the hope that defines my spirit. It hurt my heart and will as well as my sensibility. I was humbled by a friend who today told me, "You know what your flaw is? You expect everyone you meet to be equal to you in common sense and intelligence and the truth is, people aren't. You'll never enjoy living for you if you don't accept this."

 

Photo by Shazza Nakim 2011

The moment hit me hard when he finished the sentence. If this was a total stranger, a passing association or a bitter enemy, the moment would have been just that, a moment. But this is a trusted friend. Someone who has equal integrity and fortitude and is brutally honest. He demands his friendships to be honest and will not cut cause or pause with those he equally respects. So when his criticism of the World is spoken, I rarely, if ever disagree because we are like-minded in our desire to see a better World with better people, absent the myth, pageantry, serenades of BS that humanity would like to soft sell its consciousness allowing it to sleep at night. Only thing is, the vision, truth and honesty was directed at me. And it hurt only because it was true. I do see everyone I meet as being an elevated intellectual or possessing a degree of workable common sense, decorum and respect. And when I don't see it, I get depressed, angry, stressed and to a point confused. I deeply question how is it that people can survive being in their state of mental and spiritual absence. My frustration become paramount when I can find no answers for myself and the end result, I departmentalize it and absorb it into my being and work that much harder to try and elevate people through my art, my lecture or my living example. And again, my disappointment becomes more and more apparent when I see that people don't care; often turned off by the notion that someone exists wanting to make them better by bringing knowledge, hope and or inspiration in the living flesh. In a sense, "No one is Jesus or Jesus-like".

There are certain experiences in life as well as sayings that stay with you forever. Those that define your character; to the level of self worth and actualization, can be the deepest of cuts into the psyche. How do I continue to justify the blank slate I give to people when at each turn, the initial colors on it will be dark and murky. Few vibrant and bright chosen pallets to keep and display as I go through my journey in life. My standard greetings to the human spirit and humanity, or at least I thought, allowed me to keep a degree of peace of mind for hope that we can all be better and yet in the briefest of moments, I was shown a mirror reflecting a flaw in my personal philosophy that in the end, deep within my subconscious, I agreed with. In my hidden reality, I had a seed that I kept from fostering into the fertile parts of my mind so that it couldn't grow and my friend unlocked that door and exposed it. 

"I can tell you this because I am the same way, but I am learning to let go and allowing people to just be people."

That was his follow up statement before he changed the subject.

SKEWED LOGIC FLAWED DATA

I just read an article that is weighing heavy on my conscious. Heavy because there is this movement, so subtle and so insidious that if you aren't aware, or you choose to ignore it, you'd find yourself within a movement of people who are brainwashed into thinking that their skewed logic and flawed data is the TRUTH.

The article in question is from the Blog, "the Root". Specifically, "Black Men: Death Rate Lower in Prison than Outside it?" Normally I'd read it and debate it within myself, research it and or debate it among my friends but this particular article I needed to take a way-back stance and look at the Big Picture. What is going on that is not seen or spoken. Where is the information trying to take me or "us" what matters. Who was this article for? And ultimately why?

As a researcher and historian, I have found that noting the person, group, institute and the sponsors of a study is very important and should be presented before quoting its data. I do not believe these statistics are applicable to the whole of Black Men nor do I subscribe to the notion that the application and gathering of the data is non-bias. Granted that People of Color are disproportionately incarcerated than Whites, the elements of prison life; depending on the prison (minimum to maximum security), would determine the health and welfare of individuals. Also consider that within the Industrial Prison Complex, resources such as medicine, health care, physical conditioning may be available but the mental health of prisoners are always a matter of concern and debate.

Michele Bauchmann recently made a statement that Black Families were better off during slavery for having a stable two parent structure than during a time when there is a Black President. Looking at the statistics and numbers, that may be true but the data is flawed because you don't take into consideration that there were outside elements which adds to and or prevents families from staying together or taking in extended family members as it was during and post-slavery. During slavery you had direct families, extended families as well as adoptive families collectively together. Within the US, there are laws as well as economics that prevents this or make it difficult to do. To use this type of misrepresentation would be like stating that Black employment was better during slavery than under a Black President thus using him as the cause of Black unemployment. This being said, the data for this study is flawed because elements such as education, family, environment, social structures both within and outside, the diversity of Prisons studied and their resources and the core comparison of those whom are/did serve time in prison over an extended period of time and those that haven't was not presented in an actual academic setting.

Do I believe that there is "some" truth to the study? I believe in a small way yes but with all things being equal, with health care, physical conditioning, access to education, a healthy diet and the like, Black men on the outside would live longer due to better Mental Health. This article not only encourages but give credence to the existence of the Industrial Prison Complex as it relates to Black men and other Peoples of Color and frankly as a Black man I am offended especially since the articles doesn't address that once many of these Black men leave, they either return (mental illness), they suffer from addiction (sustained and or acquired in the prison), are or have become HIV positive, or in need of medications that were freely given to them but become unavailable once they leave the system. I could easily say that Black children do better in Summer Camp than those that stay home. Does that mean we should consider removing all Black children from their homes and have them live in perpetual summer camps? Some would say that's what our modern day MILITARY is for. Collect all the Black men in America for Summer Camps, Military duty, Colleges and Universities, the employed and Community Active and let's do a real comparison and contrast ... you'd have to show me all of the data and the people who signed the checks for this to have this study done. Then again we can allow the subliminal messages sink in and eventually live in the world of the researchers and Michele Bauchmann and have Black male unemployment at 0% as slaves and have a child and a wife in every shack under Massa's care. Life was so much better for Black people then.

LAST OF THE GOOD MEN

Lately I have been calling the Sisters out on the Bashing of the Brothers. Since I consider myself a Good Person, one with quality, intergity and committment as defined by my upbringing and reputation, too often I have to defend myself or justify why "OTHER" Black Men are ______ (You fill in the blank). It would seem the older I get and move in circles, the more I get from the Sisters. This phenomenon and the younger generations are taking this reality to levels unheard of.

Recently, a good person, whom has come into my life, has sent me my answer and a calling card as a female's response to understand what I now deal with from the opposite side/opposite sex's perspective so that I can accept that this is a new and different reality for relationships.

I am sharing this on my blog in hopes that those that question can understand and or share in my feelings/belief that its not all about the Men or even Me. It is a shared responsibility as well as our ownership as a Black people to maintain what little is left that made us able to see, love, live and survive needs to be unearthed and used.

This isn't us because I've seen what can possibly be me. - Shazza Nakim


"It's a funny thing about the modern world. You hear girls in the toilets of clubs saying, "Yeah, he fucked off and left me. He didn't love me. He just couldn't deal with love. He was too fucked up to know how to love me." Now, how did that happen? What was it about this unlovable century that convinced us we were, despite everything, eminently lovable as a people, as a species? What made us think that anyone who fails to love us is damaged, lacking, malfunctioning in some way? And particularly if they replace us with a god, or a weeping madonna, or the face of Christ in a ciabatta roll---then we call them crazy. Deluded. Regressive. We are so convinced of the goodness of ourselves, and the goodness of our love, we cannot bear to believe that there might be something more worthy of love than us, more worthy of worship. Greeting cards routinely tell us everybody deserves love. No. Everybody deserves clean water. Not everybody deserves love all the time."  — Zadie Smith

OUR OWN FIELD

People are scared. Especially Black people. We have been conditioned to want, wait, need and depend on another Malcolm, King and now Obama that we can't get a focus on the individual work that needs to be done. Sheep and Sheparding is in our DNA and we can't let it go just enough to know that we can freely move around our own field.

IN MEMORIAL: MICHAEL JACKSON

In Memorial: The Body is the Shell and the Spirit is the essence which is released back into the Universe. Michael Jackson's need to release the purity of his spirit is now a reality which we all can drink from like the Fountain of Youth. We were all thirsty for what he was, we are all sated in his passing. I will miss Michael Jackson’s Music, the lessons learned in his Legacy, and I will pass down the experiences to all those that are still here and those to come.

May GOD Bless his Soul.

Amen.

THE DRINK (Ujamaa - Co-operative Economics)

Draped in black she walks across desert sands
Sun hanging high
The air rippling from the heat.
She trails footprints that disappear in time
As the winds push Saharan grains
That carpet the far and beyond.
Searching for water she taps and stabs
ground with her spear of hoary worth.
Deep until the Earth bleeds
Clear,
Giving up its blood to the woman in shadow.
And she drinks.
Quenching the thirst of a throat dried and cracked
crawling towards the cut in the ground
the decayed,
the emaciated,
the carcasses of the land
struggled and strained to the oasis of life.
As the shadow stands and watched
thirsty no more.
She waits until they all approach for a drink.
And as skeletal remains part lips burned and blistered
for a drink,
to taste the nectar of nature's cool essence,
the woman withdraws her spear
licking its tip of its last drop.
Tauntingly swallowing life's most precious elixir.
And it is all gone.
Washed away into the vastness of the desert.
Only to become a mirage of happiness,
a silhouette of life
which gathered the scorched remains of the land

in a perfect circle.

This I write with scroll and pen.


The Drink by Shazza Nakim
Copyright © by Peace of Mind Publishings and with permission by Shazza Nakim

STRENGTH OF SPIRIT (Ujima - Collective Work and Responsibility)

Rock of Gibraltar
heart of diamond
like the blades of Zuar,
it’s the center of passion.
The speed of swing
and a Zulu's call,
cherish the stare hollow but true.
In the end
it’s OK.

It’s the song that causes tears to move.
A hand, which wipes them away,
clearing them for insight.
It uncovers the memory of futures past
and rises to stand in magnificence.
It’s the cost of being the boss
when masks reveal the identity of the spirit
King.

Setting internal rules
-the reality that we live in,
bodies austerely hacked and cut away in all the important parts.
And it heals,
it does grow back in places.
Sometimes fast, sometimes strong.
But in the end, it becomes the salt of the Earth
and the breath of a windless sky,
on a starless night,
a hand, on a timeless clock kept for forgotten heroes,
lost in battle since their closing bid for freedom.


Sold! Dis heron Buck fo 300 dollas!!

Strength of Spirit by Shazza Nakim
Copyright © by Peace of Mind Publishings and with permission by Shazza Nakim

NATURE OR NURTURE (Kujichagulia - Self-Determination)

Stroke me
and touch me more.
Look at me hard
and hold on.

What do you say?

Experience and taste me
lick and swallow me whole.
What flavor am I?
Sweet or sour?

Mixing the ingredients.

Open seasons
of Change
from hot to cold.
Dressed and Undressed.

In fashion statements of the World.

Singles and doubles.
Matching me up.
Taking me down
on my back and on my side.

Spread them and check me out.

Outgrowing your ideals.
Stepping beyond social shackles.
A hungry soldier no more.
I have turned my own pages.

Reading stories from right to left.

Blame me not.
I blame you little.
I am deep into You more
as much as you are into Me.

Rolling head over heels.

Save my life
saving more of your soul.
Allowing me to die in your arms.
Dully by cutting off the lights.

The sun will still rise after blemished days.

Hear Trumpets
calling from the East
with human insight.
Listen to the sound.


Nature of Nurture by Shazza Nakim
Copyright © by Peace of Mind Publishings and with permission by Shazza Nakim

DIAMONDS (Umoja - Unity)

heat it
stir it
place it on top of the burner.
put the lid on tight.
pressure cook the Hell out of it.
watch it boil,
bubble,
and bounce around
falling one over the other
over and over
until
a big wooden spoon splits and
whirls it to the sides of
a big black cauldron as it
fights the final meltdown
from an intense flame underneath.
baked,
boiled,
and burned.
broken up,
broken down
to its basic elements.
transformed
from heat
coal into diamonds
in the rough
cut so fine
so we all can shine.


Diamonds by Shazza Nakim
Copyright © by Peace of Mind Publishings and with permission by Shazza Nakim

MENTAL VACATIONS - GOOD FOR ME

I have been off my personal GAME for a minute and I needed to get back to my online friends and start blogging. I know you have missed me but to be honest, I had lost my focus a bit and it was beginning to scare me. The past year was a bit stressfull with issues of sex, money and time; the CURSE of any relationship “personal” or “committal”. You know how that can be when you concentrate on one, at the expense of the other two. And the feedback you suffer when you try to balance out the other, that chain reaction of combustible energy build, overflow and eventually explode takes so much out of you. In my case, my creative energy was pretty much F*%#'ed.

I exploded and spent the last few months in deep recovery.

So what happened?

Well I did what a wise woman told me one day. “When you find yourself lost or off your Path, go back to the point where you got distracted and start over again.”

And that is what I did; I reconnected with some friends I haven’t spoken to in YEARS. I literally did a hardcore search for some. I Google, MapQuest, Reunion.com and broke out all address books to see if numbers and addresses were still the same. It was amazing how a voice from 10, 15 and 20 years ago can fill you will an energy you through lost by time.

That time of reflection, nostalgia and melancholy may sound like crap but to someone who felt that he lost his Mojo, it was the medicine of LIFE. The relationship that I had ended took more out of me than I wanted to admit. The drain from that not only affected my views about relationships (mine personally since I will always be an advocate of good and strong monogamous relationships) but on a serious subconscious level, it played havoc on my health. My spiritual was broken and I needed healing. Once I decided that I didn’t need a bunch of Hymns and Handclaps, Off-key Divas and reminders of Fire and Brimstone wasn’t going to be key, no lectures or Self Help manual, no Ancestor from the Past or Dime Store Saint selling Lucky Charms couldn’t help, I decided to put on the Nikes and did some serious ME TIME with a walk. I walked a lot. I MEAN A LOT. I got rid of the camera and the music, the backpack and all other distractions and walked the boroughs of New York City, its parks, special events and watched the People. I watched it all in its pure Beauty and deep down Dirt. And then I did the most astounding thing …. I didn’t try to make sense out of any of it. I watched it all like a Non-caring Man stepping on a colony of ants in the middle of a road. In essence I just shut down the WHY side of my brain and let it just Be. My eyes became a camera for the World, my mental and spiritual Black and White Documentary on “What is.” I even turned off the television. No CNN, CSPAN, FOX or MSNBC. It was a total blackout of Jerry-cultured information. I planned quite in my head and allowed that emptiness to set and prepare for the flood of information that was coming like a weak damn before the storm when I turned my mind back on.

Ladies and Gentlemen, that was my summer. My mind was on vacation and my body was on auto-pilot. I became that American in this New America, the other America that had replaced what once made sense.

Now don’t get me wrong, I was still active in my daily life, I still participated in my community events and seminars but I took a more passive backseat stance. No speaking or galvanizing of the troops. I just sat back in my Mrs. Daisy ride and talked to the driver who took me where I wanted to go which was often called a place call "Anywhere".

With all the energy invested in the election, the Clintons vs. the Obamas vs. the McCains, it didn’t matter because in the end, we all know how it is going to end. So like in arguing …. I mean debating, with a fool, sometimes it’s best to just LET IT GO.

Now I wait. Wait until the truth comes to the surface and allow for that little bit of feeling to flow into the void I created in my mind to plant its seed that I need to get back my focus; my Mojo. And I am OK with that.

3-2-1 CLEANSE OR THE TWO MONTH DIET

This isn’t a diet to loose weight although some weight will be loss, the purpose is to begin a progressive detoxification of the body and begin a lifestyle for eating that will maintain not only a weight “control” program, but a regiment of healthy eating that will show both internally and externally. Understand that all body sicknesses are caused by the following symptoms; Malnutrition, Dehydration and Stress. As long as you understand this as a cause for illness you can then begin to address the root of your bodily problems and not the effect. Disease and Excess are the most common causes of Death for Food in the United States. Concentrating only on Food, the 3,2,1 Diet will address eating on a fundamental level.

The diet will be in three stages (3/1, 2/1, 1/1)

3/1 or three weeks on 1 week off are the detoxification stage. This will require a person to do a colonic as well as limit the amount of preservative in the digestive system. For some, this is the hardest part of the diet for this part challenges the “flavor addiction” of the individuals. Those ultimate red flags for addiction are the additions of “salt and sugars” processed foods.

2/1 or the two weeks on 1 week off is the choice stage. This challenges a person’s ability to monitor and or balance the foods that are good and bad in their eating habits. It is a conscious observation of what you consume or are addicted to. Most diets fail because people try going “cold turkey” or not addressing the real reason for their bad eating habits. Your two weeks on is for self-examination and personal research. This would require you getting a personal physician, learning what your Blood-Type is, family medical history, and learning what the causes are for those family illnesses (hereditary, social, environmental, chemical, physical) and planning a lifestyle change which requires little to no money to address.

1/1 or 1 week on 1 week off is in my opinion the hardest part because it requires you to actually read labels on store bought products. This stage requires you to consume less than 350mg of sodium (salt) per day. Just to let you know, 1 serving of Oatmeal without any extras or 5 oz is equal to 120mg of sodium. Drink 1 glass of apple juice (from concentrate) and you are already 135mg+ into your day. This is the only intense monitoring of the diet because eating 1 turkey sandwich can be 800mg+. So be aware.

This 1-week stage is to develop an understanding as to how much salt and sugar we consume in 1 single day. This will allow for the body to burn off excess water and or fat that often does not get attention without over working out by intense exercise. Although working out will be part of your diet plan, I am not asking you to join a gym or turn your home into a health club. The purpose is to bring a new consciousness to the toxins that we consume on a daily bases. By doing that, you will see where and how the extra weight catches up on you.

Listed below are foods you will choose from to make your diet plan. In this diet, portion sizes are important but not in a limiting way. You will eat 3 meals per day with two snacks in between. What you will be snacking on and the amounts are important. It is also important that you get 6 - 8 hours sleep per day, 1 hour of quiet time (mediation, exercise, sitting in a park, a room reading) and a partner that you will report to in order to outline your day. This last point is necessary because in the initial stages you will need someone to give you the support to get through and over the “flavor addictions”.

You will find that based upon your diet, finding locations in your community that specialize in healthy eating are not always easy. Health food stores are not as plentiful as your average corner store or supermarket. You will also find that in certain areas that the healthy food sections are considerably smaller in size and stock. More so, the prices may be much higher and content/portion sizes are also smaller. Do not let this deter you from your goal. Without getting into politics and or the economics of the marketing of foods, you may have to go that extra mile for your heath and well-being. A friend of mine once said, “Convenience Kills”. The sound of that may have seemed over the top for most to hear but her intentions were honorable since she was referring to the quick fix of buying cheap and easy sources of nutrition. Her view of eating processed foods were liken to purchasing drugs for a quick fix. It is unfortunate that eating healthy means “work”, but when has eating to live hasn’t meant effort when you know you will live longer, look more youthful and have more energy in your day.

Meat/Protein Substitutes
Soy, Tofu, Wheat (Seitan/Gluten), Nuts, Beans, Yogurt, Cheese (Organic Dairy Products)

Sugar Substitutes (Slowly begin to diminish the need for sweeteners)
Honey, Raw Brown Sugar, Molasses

Milk Substitute (Vitamins)
Rice Milk – Rice Dreams (Original/Vanilla)
Soy Milk – Silk (Original/Vanilla)
Almond Milk
Organic Goats Milk

Cooking Oils (Vitamins and Minerals)
*Canola Oil
Sesame Seed Oil
*Virgin Olive Oil (Packaged in Dark bottles)
Sunflower Oil
*Coca Nut Oil

Vegetables (Vitamins)
*Broccoli, Green Beans, *Cabbage, Spinach, Egg Plant, Peas/Chickpeas, *Garlic, Green/Red/Yellow Peppers, *Squash (Yellow, Butternut), Sea Weed, Bean Sprouts, Celery, Olives, *Cauliflower, Yams

Fruit (Fiber, Vitamins)
Apples, Bananas, Peaches, Raspberries, Blue Berries, Cherries, Figs, Lemon (Grapes, Oranges, Kiwi, Melon, Strawberries – careful with these fruits because of the sugar content)

Snack (Vitamins, Proteins, Fiber)
Nuts
Dry Fruit (Apples, Mango, Pineapple, Raisins, Dates, Prunes)
*Trail Mix
Ice Cream (Single flavored 1 pint no extras ingredients 1 per week Soy Based or Bryers)
Mixing Syrup (Fruit Based 18mg or less sugar for Water/Ice Frosty)
Vegetable Chips - Salt Free
Peanut Butter (Natural and non-commercial/*Almond Butter (This is better for you than Peanut Butter)
Tuna/Salmon and Egg Salad (Combination for Chips, Dip, Sandwich – Can Tuna Fresh Water)

Starches
Organic Rice (1/2 cut twice per week)
Potatoes (baked 1 per week)
*Pita Bread (if you can, do without bread)
*Black Russian Bread (if you can, do without bread)
Whole Wheat (Avoid Common Commercial Brands)
Rice or Wheat based pasta

Fish (Protein)
Whiting, Salmon, Shark Steak, Tuna, Mackerel, Porgy (Avoid bottom feeding and scavenger fish)

Cereals (Fiber)
Oats (Not to be confused with Oatmeal)
Brand
Rice

NO CORN BASED CEREALS AT ALL

Beans (Protein)
Lintel, Peas, Broad, Navy/White, Red, Black, Kidney

Foods to Avoid
Breads, Corn, Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Alcohol, Salad Dressing, White Sugar, White Flour, Juices from Concentrate, Fruit Drinks, White Rice (in large amounts), Eggs (2 per week if you can), Pancakes, Waffles, Muffins, Doughnuts, Cakes, Cookies and Candies, Pastas, Caffeine based Teas and Coffees - if you can’t do without it for 2 days, you have an addiction.

Without question, all foods prepared are to be boiled, broiled, baked, steamed, grilled or eaten raw. Sautéed vegetables in oil are only to be used for light flavoring and not to be soaked. Use oil sparingly and as a substitute for salad dressing. If you can avoid them altogether during the 3,2,1 period, even better.

For Soy, Tofu and Wheat (Seitan or Gluten) meat substitutes, there are many recipes that can be found on the Internet. Many of which suggest that for the meat ingredients you use Soy, Tofu or Seitan/Gluten so there is no special preparation for them. What is interesting is that these meat substitutes take on the flavor of what it is cooked in. So you do not loose flavor or texture based upon which one is used. As a rule I use the following for dishes; Soy for Fish, Tofu for Chicken and Lamb, and Seitan/Gluten for Beef.

When using these meat substitutes, remember to prepare them as if you were cooking the actual dish. What is wonderful about these substitutes is that they all take on the flavor and texture of the dish itself. For example when cooking with Tofu, if the dish calls for chicken and you use the ingredients that would bring out the flavor of chicken, then the Tofu absorbs the seasonings and takes on a poultry taste.

There are many books on preparing Vegetarian dishes as well as websites. On your free time search for a few and amaze yourself on what you have been missing.

The Diet

3/1 – The beginning
This is the beginning of a way of life. Note I stated a way of life. This isn’t one of those TV or Hollywood Diets; this is something that is ongoing as long as you want to stay healthy. Will it prolong your life, I cannot honesty say but one thing is for sure, your doctor visits and health care provider won’t make much money on you pushing pills and additives after you begin a lifestyle of healthy eating. The purpose of the 3/1 is to gradually get your body to recognize that  it is polluted with additives that it doesn’t need. By doing this, your body will then craves only the nutrients that it will need and reject the toxins (in food) that it doesn’t. For example the sodium in Potato Chips, the carbonation and coloring in Soft Drinks, the abundant Oils and Seasoning in Fast Food and the preservatives in Frozen and Can goods.

To begin you will need to purchase SUNDIAL WOODROOT TONIC (32 oz) and SUNDIAL KOROMANTEE (32 oz) from your local Health Food Store. If you cannot find either you can either contact the distributor at (718) 798-3962 or email sundialherbs@aol.com. You can also go to their website at http://www.sundialherbs.com/ . (Please Note* You should see your physician before you begin any dietary regiment in order to know your health status regardless of how safe and simple it may sound or be.)

In using these herbs and bitters, follow the instructions carefully and without deviation. In order for the 3/1 to work, you have to condition your eating habits as well as your daily routine. Both Woodroot and Koromantee must be taken twice daily and together. The actual diet is what you consume between usage. 64 oz of water and avoid fiber/dehydrating based juices and beverages (apple, cranberry, grape, teas, coffees) should be consumed during this period. Avoid dry fruits as well during the 3/1 periods for they tend to have a laxative type properties. No dairy is allowed during the 3/1 periods. Only after the 3rd week can you slowly begin to add small amounts of diary back into your diet or at all.

Since this is 3/1, it will take you two weeks to finish both bottles. The last week of the 3/1 will be only to flush your body out with water.

2/1 – Know You Body

This is your Vegetarian phase. NO MEATS and MEAT PRODUCTS. I have given you a listing of foods you can and cannot eat. The goal is to explore the various foods and food options around you and to cultivate good eating habits. This phase also will teach you that you can eat when you are hungry only and to stop eating when the hunger is gone. NOT UNTIL THE STOMACH IS STRETCHED. Believe it or not, this is how we learned to eat. Full meant that we had to loosen the belt buckle. This is where most diets fail because many programs do not address this issue. Thus the active research on your part to understand why it is that you eat the way you do. You can and will approach it from an economic, cultural, and personal level. How your income effects what you buy? How your family background has influenced how you shop and what you eat? How your mood or environment affects what you eat (i.e. the location of your job, family pressures, relationships etc.). Don’t avoid making a doctor's appointment just to talk. Whatever you do, do not take any outside advice from friends. This is your personal goal for improving your life and only your doctor and support group should be considered if any advice is considered. Own this as you would anything that meaningful to you.

This is a period for gathering information about yourself and not having “someone” guide you through a spiritual journey. Personal Mediation and Prayer is a good way to get in tune with your body. Learn to listen. Sounds deep but when you learn to listen to your body, you will begin to understand how people can go for years and not know they are ill. They have forgotten how to listen to their bodywork and to feel what it needs. A wise man told me once, “God has given you two ears and one mouth so that you can listen twice as much as you speak”. The listening also covers the body as well.

1/1 – Know Your Foods

Now that you have taken a week off, your body should not only see but feel a difference. Although your body isn’t completely cleansed, it will begin to want more as you continue the 3,2,1 regiment. In the 2/1 you will begin to read food labels. Not for calories and fat content but for salt. You see the more sugar that is in a product, the more salt is used to counter-act the ingredient. So we will be killing two birds with one stone. Look for only those foods that will add up to 500mg of sodium (salt) per day. This isn’t as easy as it sounds because the average American consumes more than 4500mg of sodium per day. Some Americans consume as much as 2000mg in one meal. This will be the hardest part of the 3,2,1 regiment. I would suggest that you bag your lunch. Raw and Dry fruits and vegetables, non-salted nuts, cereals are good CRAVING SNACKS. You will do this for two weeks. Why is this important? Salt is a water retainer. You need to drop the excess water weight. Also, with High blood pressure, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and a multitude of other food related diseases, you need to begin and understand that your body isn’t absorbing everything that you are consuming. Some of it is discarded but most of it is absorbed and stored never to be used (i.e. your body has become an internal dump for garbage and it shows in the skin, hair, teeth, the hips, waist and stomach, your breathing, and coloration of the eyes).

Now that you are done with the 3,2,1 regiment what next?

You can begin again. I find that once a person goes through the 3,2,1 they usually want to go back into a second try. I say go for it but remember, this is a seasonal diet. Once you begin a GRADUAL CHANGE IN YOUR EATING, you will not need to continue on a strict routine. Begin to add exercise to your weekly pattern. Walking is a good way to begin. You do not need to go out and join a gym right away but if your home does not afford the privacy you need, then check out an affordable yet SIMPLE GYM. The less flash the better.

Copyright 2003 © by Peace of Mind Publishings and with permission by Shazza Nakim

THE BOX

Sitting by the Nile a Queen approached me and asked
If I knew anything about a King
A King with a smile like the sun.
I did not know for I only knew of the nights over Egypt.

This Queen then proceeded to show me an alabaster box
One of significant importance.

"This box possesses your heart's desire.
It is yours if you would help me find my King.
If not, I will take it away", she told.

I pondered the possibilities
for the offer seemed too inviting.

"If this box can grant the heart's wish, why can it not grant yours?
I have no need or desire for all that I wish is here.
So tell me this oh Queen of the lost."

The Queen arched in defiance,
turns, and walk away.

"Stop! You have not answered my question.
Must I ask my question anew.
In my arrogance I meant not to offend."

The Queen rolls back and state.
"For one who questions, one does indeed desire."

The Queen hands me the box.
And within it there was a human heart.
Beating and pulsating with life.

I then knew that the heart was trapped within.
This was the Box of Isis.

"Could this be the King you ask of?
The heart which plays the music of life.
I see no smile but there is life."

The Queen then takes the heart and consumes it.
Before my eyes she becomes enriched.
Giving birth to life and a child is born.
A male child vibrant with joy and laughter.

The child then cries a name.
Osiris.

A man most powerful and salient.
He holds his Queen and a kiss is made.
Both look at me and like the wind they are gone.

Leaving me the box with a scroll and pen.


The Box by Shazza Nakim
Copyright © by Peace of Mind Publishings and with permission by Shazza Nakim

A BELLADONNA CURVE (for girls with faces)

Like music
the movement
the bend
the elegance
it was both harmony and melody
and seemingly enough
she didn't move.
Cat girl
on a catwalk
a Paris Red to Milan Blue
the eyes
deep
and the mouth
a lucsious point of succulent focus.
Then she turned her head in non-observance
and moved
like a force of nature.
She split passion into
love and addiction.
Head to shoulder
--soft,
waist to toe
--methodically powerful,
as she draped material of a hand crafted nature.
Cut
Stop
Turn
Watch
Freeze.
Hypnotized.
The allure.
A wind caused by the catwalk blew in amusement
when she lifted her arms and called for our admiration.
Without a smile.
We confessed all of our sins that day.
Heaven help us
Hell be damned,
to give one such beauty.
She had brushed the trenches with perfection
the one purpose for living.
On the scene and on stride
like a sun rise
she turned back upon herself to leave a world
touched by
brilliance.

A Belladonna Curve by Shazza Nakim
Copyright © by Peace of Mind Publishings and with permission by Shazza Nakim

WHY I DON'T WEAR SHOES TO DANCE

When I dance
I leave my body
to escape into the sky
with my arms flailing wild into the wind,
my eyes glazed
with tears that rain joy upon the Earth
while my breast move with gyrations
and convulsions
and sensual onulations.
Jerking my neck until it snaps
and my hair
-- wild and whipping,
cut into the lightness, of sound
as my bare feet ring like iron on iron
banging out patterns too random to repeat.
I feel sexually removed from myself
as I push me out of me
in all that is good and bad,
all that is young and old,
all that is and will be
male and female in me.
Breaths in heavy pants and soft sighs
sucking hard on the dance's full expression
as each turn
and each twist
gives forth and reveals more of its total ambiance
placing it in utter uniqueness and true artistry.
My thighs burning with fatigue
and my feet
kicking up clouds of dirt and dust
-- which hides my calluses,
places me in a thickness of brown and red delight.
And my fingers,
numbed from their stretch for the dream of perfection
-- a dream to create and destroy,
stiffen and fall
in a world where shoes are optional.
Mute and mindless
a slave to the rhythm
I drive onwards
act by act
until the blood of my body flows fast through my veins.
I silently scream, "Come forth, Come forth"
to Gregorian chants and muffled words of criticism
for when I am done, I will take a bow.
Bowing to you all with love by the hands of my inner conductor.
And through it all my eyes will be closed
so that no visual copies can be made.
Only the feeling,
only the emotion
as I leave to go find my dancing shoes
waiting in the shadows.
-- a dream to create and destroy,
stiffen and fall
in a world where shoes are optional.
Mute and mindless
a slave to the rhythm
I drive onwards
act by act
until the blood of my body flows fast through my veins.
I silently scream, "Come forth, Come forth"
to Gregorian chants and muffled words of criticism
for when I am done, I will take a bow.
Bowing to you all with love by the hands of my inner conductor.
And through it all my eyes will be closed
so that no visual copies can be made.
Only the feeling,
only the emotion
as I leave to go find my dancing shoes
waiting in the shadows.


(Dedicated to the existence and of the legacy of Alvin Aliey and Dance)
Why I Don't Wear Shoes to Dance by Shazza Nakim
Copyright © by Peace of Mind Publishings and with permission by Shazza Nakim

MOMMA SAID NO

She did the right thing
back in the day.
Tired from a day's labor.
Separated and beat back
Momma defied
she pushed back
and brought light
for our eyes.
Momma gave us sight beyond sight.
Momma gave us words for our voices
and gave us existence where once was
none.
Momma taught,
in our infancy,
that it was OK to say No!
But today No! no longer has the power,
it’s snap,
or its honor.
Today's No! is heavy with
tears, sadness, and sorrow.
Momma was violated
turned inside out
by the child that said Yes!
A child who missed the lessons of
No!
Defied and pushed back
Momma cried due to the labors missed yesterday.
Beat back and bruised
Momma still pushes on because
she can still say
can say No!

Momma Said No by Shazza Nakim

Copyright © by Peace of Mind Publishings and with permission by Shazza Nakim

MEET THE PRESS... IN GRIEF

There is something to be said about not liking someone and still respecting him or her for what they do. There are few people in my social circles and associations that make the grade of liking and respecting. Far too many people (which might be a weakness in my character) that I do not like but, to have someone teeter on that thin line of not liking and respecting, that is big news to anyone that knows me. What that means is that no matter what you say and or do, I will defend your right to “exist”.

I know reading that last line you are like "DAYUM "that is cold … to “exist”? Though it might be a bit arrogant or dismissive to the very nature of people, in this complexed World of countless personality types, not all people are suppose to mix and work in perfect harmony. Often when two strong personalities or those with conflicting view points with conviction to defend them with fervor and principle, you can often get into heated situations that boarder on the pinnacle of War; on persons, self, spirit and ideology.

In my background of Politics, Economics, Community, Social and Religious beliefs, there isn’t a time when debating or auguring points of view that can leave two people standing ground on opposite sides of the line civilly BUT it is the exceptional person (people) who can still remain cordial, respectful or claim the point of view of, “Agreeing to be Disagreeable”. On Sunday mornings, I wake up and put myself into that state of mind to listen to all the Political Pundits expound on issues and topics they are paid to guess at. A few are good enough to get people thinking outside of the box or almost get it right or are so on point you thing they are the actual idea givers to the Politically Inept.

Navigating through the one-sided opinions, ideological grandstanding, comportment of promptitudes, regurgitations of revisionist history and associations and lots of political jargon, I wake up early to get my mind right for a workout on playing that Political “reality game” called TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES. This is where I try and find the truth in what is said and not said in order to realize the effects and or consequences of just accepting THAT which is broadcasted as the FACTS.

Stepping through the manure that make up George Stephanopoulos, Chris Matthews, The McLaughlin Group there is a time tested political show called Meet The Press hosted by the Pit Bull of political pundits, Tim Russert. Now I will tell you, he was not a very kind person on the show. Going on Meet the Press with Tim Russert meant getting your “BEAT DOWN” moment before the World. There was no tolerance for jargon, half-truths, political innuendos, stray alludes, seeded misdirection, casual passing of accountabilities or even the occasional “rock star” stance. You come on Meet The Press you got the MAFIA TREATMENT; broken down to broken up and if you didn’t come on the show, it was WORST because that statement alone displayed a sense that you were SCARED and HIDING something from the closest thing to a representative Press that for years has overtly suffered from NOT “asking” the questions needed to be asked. In essence, Tim Russert's Meet the Press was mandatory Sunday viewing for the state of Washington DC to the World for over 17 years. You knew this because like a teacher in a classroom, you know the one's that do their homework. Tim Russert, in comparison to his competitor's, was the valedictorian of his craft.

A bit hash in his interviewing tactics, a person can’t help but recall the scene between Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson in the film, A Few Good Men where Nicholson’s character; Col. Nathan R. Jessep, cries that famous of all lines, “You can’t handle the truth!” Tim Russert dogmatically drilled each and everyone that sat across from him channeling that same energy that made Tom Cruise’s character; Lt. Daniel Kaffee, all the better when he replied “I want the truth!” And when Tim Russert didn’t get the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, out came the Video Tape and put your “WORDS” out in the street for all to see so that even the PUBLIC can jolt your memory for the truth. Guess what? If you don’t have the commitment to tell the truth to Tim Russert because of your lack of forthcoming, your attempt to dodge the question, your ability to sit and randomly and conveniently call forth Alzheimer’s, it just won’t cut it because Tim Russert’s Meet The Press don’t play. You can either come away from an interview Squeaky Clean or a Shity Mess. The way you enter Meet the Press isn't decided by the Politician but by the interviewer and you know this by the very first question. Can Tim handle the truth? Tim Russert knew people, body language, politics and agendas and as such hungered for the truth. He could and made damn sure the rest of America could as well. Sometimes a bit harsh in his interviews, after two cups of coffee and few doughnuts (or in my case herbal tea and bagels) you soon get over the nature of the person and understand that it's only business and in times like this, the "sugar coating" of the News, and especially with politicians, wasting his time and the public's is OVER. Tim Russert was a Political insider from both sides of the aisle and he knew the art of avoidance and misdirection, so in knowing that, the WAR OF WORDS and word usage was little more than fluff. On Meet the Press with Tim Russert, the lies of Politics and intensions were exposed. Tim Russert was the KING of exposure and not even YouTube could compare. When it was Sunday it was Meet the Press.

Tim, Russert, according to his friends and colleagues was a great man of distinction. I can’t say I moved in his circles but I do know enough from his books, personal interviews and the people I do know and respect whom have met and worked with the man, I am told he has a whole other side that was less lethal than his trademarked tongue lashings. Although there are a few people on my short list I would have loved to had seen him interview, I can honestly say that the one’s he got around to bringing the Journalist Bat to, I am quite satisfied.

While working, my co-worker ran from the employee lounge and yelled, “Tim Russert. He just died”! The whole office turned in shock and a few just sat quietly. Others went to work with their fingers typing “www”s searching to confirm the tragic details. I watched on the flat screen the retrospectives on a Journalist's Life and then asked myself, “Self? What are your Sunday’s going to be like now without the only person who would ask the questions you would ask, questions the way they needed to be asked and hold people to answering?”

Tim Russert may not have been a buddy of mine and he did rub me the wrong way often in his approach to people on the show (people I liked and respected mostly), especially when he allowed certain people to get off only with a few bumps and bruised and not going for the jugular enough BUT I did respect him. MORE when you look at what his competition was and his accomplishments. That, if anything else, is grounds for RESPECT. This is a serious blow for journalism since no other has the on-air backbone to get at the Truth and do it in such a way that it carries throughout the entire fabric of America. I may not have like you Tim Russert but you were a hell of a journalist and I respect you. My condolences are extended to his family and GOD BLESS YOUR SOUL.

AFRICAN SEASONS

Deep in tone.
Deep in voice.
He spoke in tongue
telling a quiet world to wake up.
African in nature,
he stepped up to me
and stared into my eyes.
Locked tight,
he focused.
He looked into my soul
and toyed with the idea of remaking me
into the image
of a Man.
A Man of African Seasons.

From out of the tall grass
urged by the wind,
African chants,
rhythm and drums
pushed our bodies into full expression
orally conveying our tales of greatness.
With the blood of the spirit,
the sweat of the land,
and the richness in being,
our story was told for generations to see.
To dance.
To sing.
To know.

We held each others hands.
Held them high and gathered others
in our warm embrace.
The numbers grew,
from youngling to elder
it swelled in quixotic proportions.
We collected the words and wisdom of the ages.
It condensed
and rubbed together
creating heat.
It burned within me.
It burned within us all.
It was hot where we were,
At the center of the room.
The center of the World.
Much like the center of all creation,
where he made me into a man.
A Man of African Seasons.

African Seasons by Shazza Nakim
Copyright © by Peace of Mind Publishings and with permission by Shazza Nakim